The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-06
HANGED AND STILL ALIVE.
No Wonder the Poor Fellows Neck is
Stiff
From the Worcester TclegrGm,


From the Worcester Telegram.
Yesterday afternoon colored man was
taken i'll on the Common, and would have
fallen but for the timely assistance of two
bystanders. The man had been wandering
about the Common since morning, and had
been noticed on account of the peculiar way
in which he carried his head. 1t hung to
ward his right shoulder, and he seemed TO
take no pains to pull it into the position III
which people commonly carry their heads.
He was respectfully dressed in clothes that
had evidently not been made for him,
aud his boots looked as If he had
walked considerable distance. When he
had been assisted to a seat he tainted, and
when he regained consciousness he clutched
at his throat, tore away his collar and said
appealingly: '.No, moi Ny Ged! Not
againi" His embarrassment when he looked
about him was marked. One of the gentle
men who had assisted him to seat left
when the colored man had recovered, but
the other remained and questioned him as
soon as he had regained his composure.
1t was sitting in the Common after he had
dined that he said: IL have had trouble
with my neck and been subject to fainting
spells since l was hanged in Arkansas"
The expression was startling enough to
make any one think the man was crazy;
time and place, and it.is well-known fact
that negro was legally hanged three years
ago i'll Arkansas for assault Oh white
woman, and afterward recovered conscious
ness. AS published then, the negro was
suspended for twenty minutes after the drop
of the old-fashioned gallows fell, and the
body was given by the Sheriff to the father
of the young man, who, with some friends,
was waiting near by with wagon. 1t was
the intention to take him to the settlement
where he formerly lived and bury him
there. The settlement was fourteen miles
from the county seat, at which the hanging
took place, and was through lonely piece
of country.
When the wagon was nearly at home the
father Of the supposedrorpse and his friends
We're startled by Groans coming from under
the tarpaulin thrown over the supposed dead
man and his struggles to get from under it
As soon as they had recovered from their
fright they went back to the wagon from
which they had fled and helped the legally
dead man up, gave him drink from the
omnipresent jug of whisky and took
him home Instead of leaving the
settlement at once, the hanged man
STAYED around his old home,
and the sliperstitious colored people de-
nanded his rearrest and the completion OF
the hanging. The case was taken to the
Governor, and pending discussion as to the
right of the authorities to take cognizance
of the existence of a convict who had been
pronounced legally dead, the man fed and
has beer a Wanderer ever since. 1t was
only after repeated urging, sweetened with
promise of help to leave the city in comfort,
that he told his story in the dialect of a
Southern field hand, somewhat tempered by
residence in the North. Divested of its
quaint dialect his tale is weirdly interest
ing.
II was locked up" he said, ''more than
six months, but | never thought Twas going
to be hanged until the night before. Then
| knew the gallowS was up and got scared.
They prayed with me all the time and tried
to keepme FROM thinking of it, but didn't
hear what they prayed about. / was too
excited. ] couldn't stand up. The Sheriff
gave me drink of Nig'sky and then they
tied my hands behind my back and
took me along. ! know there was
crowds around when l went to the
gallows, but [ didn't seem to see em. |
heard somebody singing and / Joined in.
Then they pushed me up on the gallows, and
l saw the rope and got scared again and
tried to hang back, but they pushed me
along and made me stand up straight
recollect their putting the moose on my neck
and drawing it up tight, but / was thinking
of whether they were going to hurt me, and
Esall at once dropped. l had shut my eyes
when they pulled piece OF cloth over my
|, face, but opened them then and tried to
get my hands up TO tear the cloth off
SO. ! could see; but all at once
thought some one hit me a terrible
blow on the head, and lost my senses.
When | woke up | thought some one
was choking me, and tried to get loose,
but couldn't Then it seemed as if my
head was bursting, and / saw awful lights
before my eyes, and my feet and hands
seemed to be so heavy l couldn't stir them.
Then great rings of all sorts of bright colors
began at my eyes and went further and
further off, growing bigger and fainter I'M
til l lost them. Ny head felt prickly all
over, and so did my hands and feet, and |
couldn't breathe, and then tainted. Once
knew was being hanged, but it was only
for a second.
when | woke up in the wagon | was
worse scared than before, and when | got
out from under the tarpaulin I thought |
had been dreaming, Then, when my neck
got to burning me so, knew what was the
matter For weeks aiterward | could
hardly swallow, and | couldn't turn my
head, and | can't now very much. The
cords are all stiff on one side and drawn
down. / can never go home again, and |
can never see or hear oil my folks again.
They were going to catch me and do it all
over again, SO / ran away. I've been
knocking around ever since, principally in
Canada, New Jersey, New York and Penn
sylvania, but now | thought I'd come up
here where | might get some light work
could do. Sometimes | have wished that |
had never come to life again. That's been
when I've been nearly frozen and starved.
/ never go near colored people, for it was
my own color that tried to have me hanged